


yūgen

by pudgypanda



Series: satoru [2]
Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Naruto
Genre: Angst, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Past Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2019-04-19
Packaged: 2020-01-16 07:32:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18516823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pudgypanda/pseuds/pudgypanda
Summary: yūgen: deep, profound grace; awe and appreciation__He knows there will be a day when he will have to quite literally answer for his actions. And yet, what words could possibly begin to explain or repent?





	yūgen

Sakura’s question does not necessarily come as a surprise, but he is nevertheless unprepared when she asks.

“Ne, Sasuke-kun,” she says, stopping short. She turns to face him, the lightness of her voice belying the guarded expression on her face, and the only validation he gets is that she seems nearly as uncomfortable as he is despite that she is the one asking in the first place.

But the months of travel together have clearly made her bolder in his presence, because then she looks up at him without reservation. For the amount of simple foot travel they do, they have surprisingly little time to talk between the numerous reconnaissance tasks that crop up, so she must have been mulling this over for quite some time.

“Back when we were kids, that time…when you thanked me…” she trails off, waiting for a sign of recognition or words seeking to clarify her inquiry or-

Or, perhaps, an explanation.

He knows, of course, what she is asking. Sasuke sighs over the cicadas chirping at high volume in the mid-afternoon heat, before reaching out to gently grasp her wrist. They have still only traded the briefest moments of soft contact, but increasingly, he finds himself seeking her out, chasing the promise of her touch.

He tugs her closer, and she tentatively obliges. The feel of her hand in his reminds him of just how far he still has to go, how much he struggles to let the tangled mass at his core take shape in words.

“I meant…a lot of things,” he starts unhelpfully. Still, Sakura seems to find it a satisfactory start, because she brings her other hand to his fingers, still closed over her wrist, and smooths over them. “There was more than I could admit to myself then - or probably even now. Sakura, I-” he swallows. “Before you said it that night, the last person to say- to tell me…”

His gaze drops to the gnarled roots at the base of a nearby tree. “It was my mother. She sent me off that morning, bento in hand, with those words.”

Sakura closes her eyes and leans in, and Sasuke meets her halfway as her head makes contact with his collarbone. This is uncharted territory for him and she knows it - knows that the uncertainty of his own voice leaves him more fearful than even the Ten Tails did.

Her hair comes to rest just under his chin, and he takes a deep breath, feeling hers seeping through his shirt. Several eternities come and go in the silence while he grapples with what he feels gathering in his chest, before he can give voice to any of it.

Will he ever become someone worthy of her infinite patience?

“I think more than anything,” he finally murmurs with his cheek atop her head, “I wanted to say I was sorry. I thought…I thought leaving was the only way forward.”

He straightens a little. “I spent years after the massacre trying not to feel anything at all. But you and Naruto made that impossible. Especially after I watched you face down Gaara - for me - without a prayer of survival. Especially after you sat by me in the hospital until Naruto found Tsunade and brought her back to the village.”

Sasuke continues even as he feels the front of his shirt dampen. “You risked everything to bring me back down from the Cursed Seal’s control the first time it happened. I knew what I meant to you, but I also knew what it would take to kill Itachi. It wasn’t fair to either of us, and how I left you was…”

“Cruel.” Sakura’s face is muffled by the fabric, but there is no mistaking her words.

“Aa.” He cannot refute her words, and lets the weight of her accusation hang in the air for several seconds before he draws back. When he finally glimpses her face, he lifts his hand to sweep back a lingering tear.

He had said it already at the Valley of the End, but somehow, this moment on the outskirts of Oto feels weightier. Better late than never, Sasuke thinks.

He feels rather than sees her eyes widen as he drops to his knees, pressing his forehead to her feet. “ _Gomen’nesai_ …Sakura.”

Her hand gently lifts his chin, and he rises just enough on one knee to see her searching his eyes. He forces himself to look directly into hers, steady so she can see the conviction and sincerity there.

She considers him for a long moment, her gaze unreadable. And then she bends forward, her hand dropping from his chin to his good arm, dipping under the traveling cloak he wears despite the stifling heat to grab hold of his hand. He closes his eyes, overwhelmed by this endless grace he does not deserve. He bows his head, and feels her forehead meet his.

“I know,” she whispers. She squeezes his hand in hers, so he laces their fingers together and squeezes back. With one final shaky breath, she steps back, pulls him to his feet, and turns to keep walking the way forward.

**Author's Note:**

> Just a short one! This seems like a conversation that would have to happen at some point. That _arigato_ haunts Sakura in canon for so long that there has to be some closure or resolution for them to move on - at least in my head!
> 
> ~~It's also a chance for our classic ornery boi to start learning how to Use His Words.~~
> 
> A few more sweet oneshots and then I think we hit the sexy times. ;)
> 
> Love,  
> pudge


End file.
